Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Exercise: Industry

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the financial stability of (a) gyms, (b) amateur sports clubs and (c) community sport event organisations and (d) other parts of the fitness industry during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nigel Huddleston: The Chancellor has announced an unprecedented support package including: a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, where small and large employers will be eligible to apply for a government grant of 80% of workers’ salaries; a deferral of the next quarter of VAT payments for firms, until the end of June, representing a £30bn injection into the economy; £330bn worth of government backed and guaranteed loans to support businesses; and a Self-Employed Income Support Scheme will help eligible freelance workers receive up to £2,500 per month in grants for at least three months. During the Coronavirus outbreak I have engaged regularly with the sport sector to understand how it can benefit from this support, and address any remaining issues.

Broadband: Standards

Kate Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to take steps to accelerate the roll-out of ultrafast broadband in (a) Burton constituency and (b) the UK.

Matt Warman: The Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit capable broadband as soon as possible, including in the Burton constituency. Gigabit broadband will provide consumers with faster download speeds of 1Gbps compared to ultrafast broadband, which provides download speeds of at least 300 Mbps. Much progress has already been made across the UK, with full fibre coverage doubling in the past year to reach 10% of UK premises, according to the latest Ofcom figures. This Government will continue to take action to remove barriers to network rollout and to ensure that those in the hardest to reach areas are not left behind. We have introduced legislation to make it easier for operators to deploy broadband in blocks of flats, will be legislating to mandate gigabit connectivity in new builds and will invest £5 billion of funding to support gigabit rollout in hard to reach areas. In the Burton constituency, there is 97% superfast coverage, up from 57% in 2012 and compared to the current UK average of 96%. Full fibre coverage in Burton is 21.8%, according to the latest Ofcom figures, more than double the UK average.

Broadband: Lancashire

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to expand the availability of gigabit-capable broadband throughout (a) Lancashire and (b) Blackpool.

Matt Warman: The Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit capable broadband as soon as possible. Much progress has already been made, with full fibre coverage doubling in the past year to reach 10% of UK premises, according to the latest Ofcom figures. This Government will continue to take action to remove barriers to network rollout and to ensure that those in the hardest to reach areas are not left behind. We have introduced legislation to make it easier for operators to deploy broadband in blocks of flats, will be legislating to mandate gigabit connectivity in new builds and will invest £5 billion of funding to support gigabit rollout in hard to reach areas. Lancashire has 97.8% superfast coverage, up from 37% in January 2011. In Blackpool, superfast coverage is 99.5%, compared to the UK average of 96%. Blackpool City Council was successful in their Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) Wave 2 bid for funding, and were allocated £3.1 million to upgrade its fibre presence across the city using 20km of the existing duct tramway. A separate company, ITS Technology Group, has extended its gigabit-capable broadband services to the Fylde Coast by harnessing the local, publicly owned Cooperative Network Infrastructure (CNI). This is currently live in Blackpool and is expanding across the Fylde coast.

Youth Services

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the May 2019 report by Barnardo’s on youth services and knife crime.

Mr John Whittingdale: We value Barnardo’s work with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Knife Crime and Violence Reduction, and welcomed their report published in March 2020 on the role of youth services.We recognise the importance of investing in our young people, and so in September last year the Chancellor announced a five year, £500 million Youth Investment Fund. This will help build up to 60 new youth centres and refurbish hundreds of existing youth facilities across the country, as well as providing over 100 mobile facilities for harder to reach areas. The fund will also support the provision and coordination of high-quality services for young people, as well as an investment in the youth workforce.DCMS will continue to work together closely with the Home Office, the Cabinet Office’s Serious Violence Team and across government on effective strategies to keep our young people safe.

Department for Education

Data Protection

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the data breach of the Learning Records Service database by theGB Group, what steps he is taking to review thecriteria used by his Department to allow externalorganisations access to sensitive data.

Gillian Keegan: The registration process for access to the Learning Records Service (LRS) has been tightened up significantly:Extra checks have been put in place by the UK register of Learning Providers (UKRLP) before an organisation can apply to become a registered training provider (a pre-requisite to registering to use the LRS). They must:provide their Companies House number and be a listed as a registered & active company on the CH website, their ICO registration number and an active UKPRN number.provide details of the Awarding Organisation (AO) that they are accredited with (which will be confirmed independently by ESFA), the approximate volumes of learners that they expect to register per annum and a detailed description of why they need access. If the the purpose for any reason but to enrol their own students this will only be granted by exception after a follow up discussion.submit an LRS agreement that is signed by one of the company directors listed on the Companies House website.The LRS registration form has been updated to include all of the above information, and any organisations who have had their access revoked as part of the recent incident will need to resign the updated agreement/registration form. The registration form also includes a section cleared by commercial lawyers that:states DFE's right of recourse against licensees to LRS and that we will restrict the rights of licensees with regard to the sublicensing of access to LRS.includes text acknowledging/outlining other sanctions.Any organisation that requests a change of details (for example when a school becomes an Academy, or when an ITP changes its registered name), must meet the same criteria as the initial registration process.The housekeeping tasks to de-register organisations from LRS are being automated.Nightly checks are being run routinely now to identify any cases of excessive usage of the LRS, with automatic suspension for those identified. The housekeeping tasks to de-register organisations from LRS will be enhanced going forwards using a weekly data feed from UKRLP.We have put in place the following additional checks when new entrants to the market apply to join the UK Register of Learning Providers (UKRLP):Each applicant must register with the ICO and include their ICO number in their UKRLP application.UKRLP will check each applicant’s website(s) and review their line of business (including the description of their business on Companies House).Each new applicant must give a reason for registering with the UKRLP.IDP-Connect will continuously review the current acceptance / rejection process and monitor frequent requests. Those currently registered with the UKRLP will be reviewed against these new criteria.IDP-Connect and ESFA are now meeting every 2 weeks to review the changes proposed to the UKRLP process and to evaluate progress with respect to the agreed changes.All bulk shares of personal data from the department must be independently assessed and reviewed by the department’s Data Sharing Approvals Panel (DSAP). Most requests for data that are granted will be through the Office of National Statistics (ONS) Secure Research Service and will use National Pupil Database (NPD) de-identified individual level ‘standard extracts’ for each academic year.The ONS Secure Research Service (SRS) allows researchers they have accredited under the Digital Economy Act or approved through the ONS Approved Researcher scheme to access secure de-identified data in line with the industry standard “5 Safes. The Five Safes are Safe People, Safe Projects, Safe Settings, Safe Outputs and Safe Data.Access to the service is through 1 of the 5 research labs run by the ONS or if the researcher’s location meets ONS security standards and have access to the ONS they may access the data remotely through their own machines.DSAP review each request and only approve the request is within the department’s risk appetite and supports the aims of the department.

Adult Education: Coronavirus

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the (a) mayoral combined authorities and (b) Greater London Authority on the provision of additional financial support to providers of adult education for the remainder of the academic year 2019-20 as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Gillian Keegan: There is urgent work under way in the department, the Education and Skills Funding Agency and with the Greater London Authority and Mayoral Combined Authorities to ensure that we have the appropriate policy response in place to respond to the impact of COVID-19 on the Further Education sector and its learners.Our priority is preventing the spread of COVID-19 while doing everything possible to mitigate the impact on learning and attainment, and to protect the sustainability and capacity of the provider base and colleges for the future.

Children: Safety

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that vulnerable children are safeguarded in the event of school closures in England.

Vicky Ford: Holding answer received on 23 March 2020



Supporting vulnerable children is a priority at this time. On Wednesday 18 March, my right hon. Friends, the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Education announced that schools would remain open for vulnerable children, alongside the children of critical workers. Vulnerable children include those who have a social worker and those with education, health and care (EHC) plans.We know that for many children who have a social worker, being in school can be a protective factor helping to keep them safe from harm. There is an expectation that vulnerable children who have a social worker will attend school, so long as they do not have underlying health conditions that put them at severe risk.Guidance for schools on supporting vulnerable children at this time is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people.We recognise that local authorities and other safeguarding partners are under increased pressure during this period and are considering all options to ensure that they can continue to keep children safe. HM Treasury has created a £5 billion emergency response fund, which includes £1.6 billion of additional funding to help local authorities address any pressures they are facing in response the Covid-19 pandemic across all service areas, including children’s social care. Through the Coronavirus Act, we are seeking powers to bring additional social workers onto the register of social workers held by the regulator, Social Work England, to give local authorities flexibility to meet the challenges of dealing with Covid-19.

Apprentices: Coronavirus

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to allow awarding organisations to enable work from apprentices to be accepted as evidence by video capture and witness testimonials for the next six months during the covid-19 outbreak.

Gillian Keegan: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



We have developed guidance with the sector to support all parts of the apprenticeship system, which is consistent with advice issued by Public Health England. Guidance issued on 23 March sets out how we are responding to the impact of Covid-19 on the apprenticeship programme. It can be found at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-apprenticeship-programme-response.We are keeping the guidance under active review and will publish updates as the situation evolves.The authority to change assessment methods sits with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE). IfATE issued guidance on 23 March about the range of temporary flexibilities being introduced to end-point assessment: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/response-to-covid-19/.IfATE are working closely with external quality assurance providers and end-point assessment organisations to make adjustments to assessment plans, including remote assessment wherever possible, whilst maintaining the integrity of the apprenticeship. Some assessment methods can be carried out remotely but these will need to be checked for each apprenticeship standard to take account of specific occupational requirements. Adjustments will need to be logged with relevant external quality assurance providers.

Pupils: Attendance

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on the circumstances in which it is appropriate to prosecute a parent under section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996.

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that parents whose children are (a) unable to and (b) choose not to attend school because of (i) special educational needs and (ii) a disability during the covid-19 outbreak are not prosecuted under section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996.

Vicky Ford: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



From Friday 20 March, schools, colleges and early years settings have been closed to everyone except children of key workers and vulnerable children, as part of the country’s ongoing response to COVID-19.We have asked local authorities to suspend any penalty notice action or prosecutions for COVID-19 related absence with immediate effect. Local authorities should update their Code of Conduct for issuing penalty notices to make this clear. New cases should not be taken forward and any cases from 16 March should be withdrawn. This approach should also be applied to prosecutions for non-attendance.Guidance has been issued on providing support for vulnerable children, including those with special educational needs or disabilities, during the current period of school closures. Schools, colleges, other training providers and local authorities will need to work with parents to make a risk assessment for each child and young person with an education, health and care plan and decide whether their needs should be met though the continuation of provision in their educational setting, or they are able to have their needs met at home.The latest guidance for schools and other education settings can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-schools-and-other-educational-settings.

Further Education: Pupils

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether colleges will be given discretionary powers to ensure that vulnerable pupils who do not have official status can remain in college.

Gillian Keegan: We have ensured that vulnerable students and the children of key workers can remain in college. Where young people are particularly at risk or there are safeguarding issues, colleges may make appropriate arrangements that allow them to continue to attend.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Insulation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to test the performance of homes and tackle inadequate cavity wall insulation.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that houses are performing to the efficiency standards promised by housebuilders.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to ensure developers build homes to agreed performance standards.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that homes are meeting their expected energy efficiency standards.

Christopher Pincher: We have committed to introduce a Future Homes Standard from 2025 which means that new homes will be fit for the future, with low carbon heating and lower energy use through high levels of energy efficiency. In October 2019 we published a consultation on the Future Homes Standard and the 2020 version of Part L of the Building Regulations. The Future Homes Standard consultation closed on 7 February 2020. The responses we have received will be considered carefully and a Government response will be published in due course.Within the consultation we also made several proposals to improve the as-built performance of new homes, ensuring that they perform more closely to the predicted energy efficiency requirements. These proposals included improving the accuracy of as-built energy calculations and providing clearer information about the as-built specifications of new buildings to both Building Control Bodies and to building occupiers.   A building control body, or the person doing the work if registered with a competent person scheme, verifies that completed building work meets the requirements of the Building Regulations. We do not have any current plans for testing the performance of the cavity wall insulation in new build homes.

Housing: Energy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to improve the energy and carbon performance of new build homes.

Christopher Pincher: The Government is fully committed to meeting its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and recognises the important contribution that the energy efficiency of buildings has to make in meeting it.We have committed to introduce a Future Homes Standard from 2025 which means that new homes in England will be fit for the future, with low carbon heating and lower energy use through high levels of energy efficiency. In October 2019 we published a consultation on the Future Homes Standard which proposed that new homes built to this standard should have carbon dioxide emissions 75-80 per cent lower than those built to current building regulations standards.As a stepping stone to the Future Homes Standard, we have also consulted on a meaningful and achievable increase to the energy efficiency standards for new homes to be introduced through the Building Regulations in 2020, with a further strengthening by 2025.The Future Homes Standard consultation closed on 7 February 2020. The responses we have received will be considered carefully and a Government response will be published in due course.

Housing: Energy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the New Homes Ombudsman will be responsible for ensuring that the stated energy efficiency of new homes correlates with their performance in real terms.

Christopher Pincher: The New Homes Ombudsman will provide alternative dispute resolution for new build homebuyers.   We expect the New Homes Ombudsman’s remit to include complaints involving fuel, energy and broadband performance where expectations fall below that which is required or promised to be delivered by developers.

Housing: Construction

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the housing stock built in the next five years will be better than the housing stock built in the last five years.

Christopher Pincher: In 2019 the Government convened the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission and its report on improving the design quality of new homes was published in January 2020. We will be publishing a Planning White Paper, setting out measures to support beautiful design, meet the challenges of climate change and ensure this country can build the homes it needs.We will legislate to address the recommendations from Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety and work with residents, building owners and others to ensure people are safe in their homes.We will also legislate to require developers to belong to the New Homes Ombudsman and follow a Code of Practice to improve standards of build and service quality.

Housing: Standards

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to ensure people are made aware of the performance standard of a home before purchase.

Christopher Pincher: It is a mandatory requirement of the energy performance of building regulations for the seller or landlord to provide a prospective buyer or tenant with a copy of an Energy Performance Certificate which provides information about the energy performance of the building.

Housing: Construction

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that homeowners can identify and redress snagging issues in new build homes.

Christopher Pincher: The Government’s top priority is the health and wellbeing of residents in all tenures. New build homebuyers must feel confident that they are safe, receive the high quality they rightly expect, and are treated fairly when things go wrong.We will ensure that a New Homes Ombudsman is established and we will legislate mandating that developers must belong to it, to provide effective redress for new build homebuyers. We have consulted on the design and delivery of the New Homes Ombudsman and the response was published in February, setting out a way forward.

Planning

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a planning moratorium for the next 12 weeks.

Christopher Pincher: The Government has put in place a package of measures that will help keep firms in business and people in jobs and prevent Covid-19 from causing long-lasting economic harm. It is important that local planning authorities continue to provide the best service possible in these stretching times and prioritise decision-making to ensure the planning system continues to function, especially where this will support the local economy.We are asking local planning authorities to take an innovative approach and explore every opportunity to use technology to ensure that discussions and consultations can go ahead. We would encourage councils to consider delegating committee decisions where appropriate. The Government has introduced legislation to allow council committee meetings to be held virtually for a temporary period which we expect will allow planning committees to continue.